I will do a more complete write up on my website and drop a link here as soon as it's complete.
While this is my first actual FKT, and 50+ mile adventure, I have a very long history of endurance and ultra-endurance sports, it was a really fun departure from my normal routine to tackle this route this year.
I completed this FKT in the midst of a 50+ mile run on the Long Trail. Beginning at the Rt 2 trailhead and moving south, ending at Middlebury Gap.
I departed the Duxbury Rd. trail head at 5:00am on Saturday 10/10/2020 and was fortunate to have warm and comfortable weather. There had been some rain earlier in the week but the mud wasn't too bad and the leaves weren't as slippery as suspected.
I had pre-run much of this route in sections over the months leading up to it, so I knew what to expect in terms of the terrain, which I think the Long Trail often times surprises people.
I reached the summit of Camel's Hump in just under 2.5 hours and knew I was on good pace and comfortable. It was another hour to the summit of Mt. Ethan Allen from there. I came across the top of Burnt Rock right around 4.5 hours. And then was able to make pretty good time to the summit of Molly Stark Mt arriving a little more than 6.5 hours from leaving Duxbury Rd. I began to slow my pace and finally stopped to refill my water from one of the flowing brooks on my way up Stark Mt and arrived at the summit after a little over 8 hours and then Mt Ellen just about an hour after that. I arrived at Lincoln Peak a bit before 10 hours and Mt Abe in just about 10 hours. I was hoping to really push the descent here to make up some time, but didn't have it in my legs and there was a fair bit of traffic on the way down.
Lincoln Gap was JAMMED with people that afternoon, and I took my time here to refuel and drink a good bit before heading off down the trail for Middlebury Gap. This plan would later get sidelined by some severe Thunderstorms and spending the night in my emergency bivy tucked inside the Cooley Glen Shelter just below the summit of Mt. Grant. I would resume my run the next "morning" at about 2:30am before arriving at Middlebury Gap between 8 and 9:00am.